The past few years have been unprecedented. From insurrections, to a global pandemic, this time is one that will go down in the history books. Many have sought to tackle the issues currently facing the world with movies, such as “Death to 2020,” and television seasons dedicated to COVID-19, like Grey’s Anatomy’s season 17. “Don’t Look Up” is next in this series of heavy-messaged entertainment. 

Featuring a star-studded cast with talents such as Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Meryl Streep, “Don’t Look Up” premiered on Netflix on Dec. 24. Stars like Ariana Grande and Timothee Chalamet even had small roles throughout the movie. Its premier cast created high anticipation before the release date and caused it to receive a record number of views on the streaming platform. 

Gardnering mixed emotions from critics, “Don’t Look Up” received 55% on Rotten Tomatoes’s Tomatometer with some critics loving it and others believing it was too aggressive in its messaging. “‘Don’t Look Up’ is a blunt instrument in lieu of a sharp razor, and while McKay may believe that we’re long past subtlety, it doesn’t mean that one man’s wake-up-sheeple howl into the abyss is funny, or insightful, or even watchable,” Rolling Stones critic David Fear said. 

The movie revolves around a comet hurtling towards Earth and threatening the existence of humankind. After discovering the comet, Lawrence, who plays doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky, must work along with her professor Randall Mindy, played by DiCaprio, to convince the world of the dire situation they are in. Streep acts as one of the main villains in the movie, playing the corrupt president of the United States with Jonah Hill acting as her son and sidekick. 

Instead of working with NASA experts and qualified professionals, Streep’s character uses the Earth’s impending doom as a business opportunity rather than a life threatening situation, even going as far as telling her constituents the comet is not a big deal. As the movie progresses, the audience sees the implications of her decisions and the other attempts of Lawrence and DiCaprio to fix her mistakes. 

Despite having a lot of promise, I found “Don’t Look Up” to be boring. Although there were humorous moments, the length of the movie felt too long and at times it seemed like it was dragging along. However, I enjoyed the ending of the movie and felt that it wrapped up the story in a logical and meaningful way. 

Overall, “Don’t Look Up” shares important messages about climate change and corruption in the world. However, it is slow and the best scenes come after the ending credits. While I would not recommend dropping everything to watch this movie, if you have some free time and are looking for something satirical to watch, “Don’t Look Up” may be right for you.